INFLUENCE OF PULSE-CVI PYROCARBON INTERPHASES ON MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF UNIDIRECTIONAL CMC

Pulse-CVI (P-CVI) allows controlled deposition of anisotropic carbon layers. Unidirectional SiC/PyC/SiC and C/PyC/SiC composites possessing carbon interphases deposited by P-CVI were developed. Tensile mechanical properties were compared to those measured on composite specimens possessing PyC interphases deposited by conventional CVI. Comparison of test data showed that: (i) improved mechanical properties were observed on those specimens with P-CVI interphases, (ii) thickness of 0.2 mu m for the P-CVI interfacial coating maximizes the material's mechanical properties, (iii) improvement of mechanical properties were correlated with the thermally induced residual stresses that built up during cooling down from the processing temperature and with the oriented microstructures of P-CVI PyC.